Global Health Magazine just posted this interesting interview with Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. In it he discusses the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) at length as well as the Obama Administration’s plans for combating the global AIDS epidemic.

Excerpt below, full interview here

Q: What are you spending most of your time on now?

Goosby: The main focus has been in understanding what we’ve done in the first five years in the PEPFAR programs (and) in each location how our response in both prevention and treatment do or do not relate to the demographics of the epidemic in each of these settings. In each city, there are multiple epidemics. Each has their own population, and movement of the virus through that population. And we’re looking at how well our prevention programs understand that movement of the virus, and if they have indeed positioned themselves in front of it.

A second focus … has been appreciating the complexity of our partnering network within the country, in the NGO community in particular. It’s been astonishing to see how well we have done in urban populations.

But now the fragility of these health systems is what I’m most concerned about it. They are as fragile as the NGO who is involved in the delivery, and that is dependent on continued resources from us to support them in that effort.

Some friends recently alerted me to the fact that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is now officially on Facebook.

This is a pretty cool development, and my immediate impression of the page is that it’s a really nice platform to disseminate up-to-the-minute information about the program and to interact with constituents. You can check out the page, and become a fan, at www.facebook.com/PEPFAR. You can also now follow PEPFAR on Twitter.

Also, Nandini Oomman and Christina Droggitis from the Center for Global Development offer some sharp analysis and suggestions for PEPFAR’s engagement with social networking here.

Earlier today, Secretary Clinton signed a landmark agreement with Angola aimed at combating HIV/AIDS. This new “partnership framework” emphasizes a ground-up approach and lays out a five-year plan in which the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will support health priorities laid out in Angola’s HIV National Strategic Plan.

Here are a few key excerpts from Secretary Clinton’s remarks on the agreement:

“This framework represents a new approach to our government’s fight against HIV/AIDS. It emphasizes a bottoms-up approach tailored for and by the country we are assisting. It represents an expansion of local capacity and health care systems that can last over time. It represents long-term planning and more intensive pursuit of prevention. It represents the use of measurements to assure effectiveness and accountability. It will allow for greater coordination among the many parties involved in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS. And finally, it will place greater attention of the affect of HIV/AIDS on women.”

“I am pleased that, thanks to the very swift work between the minister of health and the global AIDS coordinator, we are going to more than double funding for PEPFAR in Angola.”

While Angola is already a PEPFAR focus country, through this new agreement, the U.S. and Angola will work together to strengthen health systems; improve monitoring and evaluation; bolster HIV prevention activities (particularly mother-to-child transmission); address TV/HIV co-infection; address discrimination issues; encourage testing; and promote the people living with HIV/AIDS in all levels of planning and implementation.
Funding will reportedly increase from $7 million to $17 million.

-Lisa Fleisher

It is officially August Recess and here in Florida we are taking advantage of the opportunity to meet locally with our elected officials and their staff while they are in town.

Earlier today, we had the chance to sit down with Josh Maddock, District Representative for Congressman Ron Klein (Fl-D-22). We told Josh all about ONE and the more than 4,000 ONE members living right here in the 22nd Congressional District which spans the eastern coast of Florida from Boca Raton up through parts of Jupiter.

First and foremost, we thanked Josh for Rep. Klein’s previous support on some of our legislative priorities, including the reauthorization of PEPFAR and the Jubilee Act. We were also pleased to report that Rep. Klein voted against the Lewis/Culberson amendment which, if passed, would have cut significant funding from the FY2010 Foreign Affairs Appropriations Bill.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, we knew that Rep. Klein would be familiar with recent efforts to re-write the Foreign Assistance Act with the goal of restructuring and improving coordination and aid effectiveness. We asked that Rep. Klein consider joining the more than 100 members of Congress who are already cosponsors of this important bill.

Before leaving, we also talked about the importance of developing a long-term approach to improve agricultural sustainability and asked that Rep. Klein become a cosponsor of H.R. 3077, The Global Food Security Act. We know that the United States is a global leader in providing emergency food and disaster assistance, however, these interventions, while critical, are not sustainable solutions to improve the lives of millions that are vulnerable to food insecurity.

-Sara J. Paterni

Chairman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Ranking Member Kay Granger (R-TX) exemplified bipartisan leadership in navigating the $48.8 billion State-Foreign Operations bill though the House Appropriations Committee yesterday afternoon. After a few amendments, the bill passed by a near unanimous voice vote demonstrating solid support for live-saving, effective programs.

Over the past few months ONE members across the country contacted Members of Congress on the importance of fighting poverty, and it is clear that ONE has been heard. But no resting on our laurels, there is much, much more to do. The full House will take up the bill after the July 4th holiday, and the Senate Appropriations Committee will begin its work around the same time.

On our key programs, some funding levels are very good, and on others, we need to do more. For global health programs, the House Appropriations Committee provides $7.7 billion, which includes fully funding PEPFAR at $5.259 billion. The global health amount also includes $750 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and there is an additional $300 million in the Labor-Health and Human Services bill for a total of $1.05 billion, but the need is $2 billion, so we have some work to do in boosting the funding for this critical, proven program. Good news is that the bill fully funds the President’s Malaria Initiative at $585 million and the Millennium Challenge Account at $1.4 billion, both huge increases from last year’s levels. There is also positive funding for basic education, child and maternal health, and other development programs.

However, in addition to the Global Fund, there is another area of significant concern, and that is the funding of the President’s Food Security initiative. The President’s request was approximately $1.4 billion, but the bill provides about $1 billion, and we believe most of this cut will be felt by African and Latin American countries. This is a key initiative that will help the world’s poorest countries increase their agricultural productivity, reduce poverty, and provide economic prosperity.

Yesterday’s action marks an important step in the funding process, and also provides us with the opportunity to make a difference going forward.

-Arjun Mody

Tomorrow the Kaiser Family Foundation will host a live, interactive webcast featuring an expert panel examining the global health aspects of the President’s recently released Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal. Among the topics discussed will be the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). The panel will also discuss other aspects of US funding for global health programs.

ONE’s Director of Government Relations Tom Hart will take part in the discussion, which will be streamed live here tomorrow, Thursday, at 1 pm EST.

-Chris Scott

Yesterday, Former Press Secretary Dana Perino spoke at length about poverty in Africa, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and her own travels to Africa. She also talked about the success of antiretroviral medication and Africa’s perception of America’s efforts to fight AIDS in the region.

Click the link below for a clip of Perino’s remarks

-Chris Scott

On Friday we brought attention to a Gallup poll that indicated the American public considers President Bush’s work in the fight against HIV/AIDS to be his administration’s most successful accomplishment. Yesterday the Associated Press ran an article that serves as an interesting companion piece, examining this issue from an African perspective.

The article offers many different perspectives and opinions, including those in Africa who have been directly impacted by programs such as PEPFAR, to those who feel the focus on HIV/AIDS has distracted too much attention from other diseases.

Excerpts below, full piece here

Like countless Africans, [Sweetness] Mzolisa looks forward to Barack Obama becoming America’s first black president Jan 20. But — like countless Africans — Mzolisa says she will always be grateful to Bush for his war on AIDS, which has helped to treat more than 2 million Africans, support 10 million more, and revitalize the global fight against the disease.

“It has done a lot for the people of South Africa, for the whole of the African continent,” says Mzolisa, a feisty mother of seven. “It has changed so many people’s lives, saved so many people’s lives.”

Some critics, like rockers-turned-advocates Bono and Bob Geldof, have become admirers.

“The Bush regime has been divisive … created bitterness — but not here in Africa. Here, his administration has saved millions of lives,” Geldof wrote in Time Magazine as he accompanied Bush on an Africa trip last February.

“The administration and Bush himself deserve a lot more credit than they received for getting this job done,” says Josh Ruxin, assistant professor of public health at Columbia University.

-Chris Scott

Commentary Magazine has published a fascinating inside account of President Bush’s fight against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic during his two terms in office. As President Bush’s time in office winds down over the next couple of weeks, pundits, commentators, and the public will begin the process of evaluating his place in history. This extremely intimate and detailed look at the creation and evolution of such programs as the Global Fund and PEPFAR under the President’s leadership is definitely worth a look.

Excerpts below, full article here

Bush’s interest in AIDS as a critical global problem was evident from the very beginning of his presidency. In March 2001 he established a cabinet-level council chaired by his top foreign-policy and health aides, Colin Powell and Tommy Thompson. On May 11, he gathered in the Rose Garden with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to announce a maiden contribution of $200 million (subsequently increased to $500 million) to a new international AIDS fund now known as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. This represented a 30-percent increase over Bill Clinton’s final budget in total foreign spending on the disease (on top of the $13 billion being spent annually on the domestic crisis).

Although by autumn the President would be consumed with the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the war in Afghanistan, his interest in the AIDS issue never wavered. In early 2002, he told Josh Bolten, his deputy chief of staff for policy, that he wanted to do more.

-Chris Scott

Last week we told you about an online forum hosted by the White House and Ambassador Mark R. Dybul to commemorate World AIDS Day and answer the public’s questions about HIV/AIDS both at home and abroad, as well as the success and challenges of PEPFAR. It was an excellent opportunity for people all around the world to speak directly with the Bush Administration about the progress made in the fight against global disease and what the next administration can be expected to face.

Excerpts below, full transcript here

Randy, from Washington, DC writes:
Why has PEPFAR been so successful? What are the biggest challenges ahead?

Mark Dybul
PEPFAR reflects the principles of President Bush’s New Era of development: country ownership, good governance, results-based programs and accountability, and economic growth. These reflect the internationally-agreed Monterrey Consensus and Paris Declaration. The fact that we’ve been able to partner with the countries where we work and support them in achieving results in their countries has been fundamental to our success.

The current economic crisis may cause some to look inward to only work on problems in this country, but as President Bush and Secretary Rice have emphasized, this would be a serious mistake. Our work abroad, with PEPFAR and other development initiatives, not only benefits countries around the world, but also advances the United States’ economic, security and moral interests.

Jiesheng, from Birmingham, United Kingdom writes:
What steps has the US taken in working with the global community in reaching Goal 6 of the Millennium Development Goals (Combat HIVAIDs, malaria and other diseases?)

Mark Dybul
Thanks for asking about this – my other answers have focused on our U.S. bilateral HIV/AIDS programs, but your question gives me a chance to highlight the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This is an important part of our approach, and it also provides a mechanism for other countries that don’t have the bilateral programs the U.S. has to contribute to the effort against the three diseases. President Bush provided the founding contribution to launch the Fund, and the U.S. remains by far its largest supporter, contributing approximately 30% of its resources. Today the Fund announced the latest results that have been achieved through the programs it supports, and the U.S. will continue to support this important mechanism – and to urge other countries to utilize it as a way to increase their own commitments. Again, thanks for the good question.

-Chris Scott